Protective cups have been used for years by a variety of athletes, workers security personnel and the like. Traditionally, baseball players, hockey players, football players, and rugby players used protective cups to protect their male genitals from injury resulting from sporting contact or external impact. Recently, protective cups have become important in other sports such as mountain biking, motocross, snow skiing, waterskiing and the like. In describing traditional protective cups, it is important to understand the general physiology of the male anatomy as relating to a groin impact.
Because the testicles hang in a sac (i.e., scrotum) outside the body, they are not protected by bones and muscles like the rest of the reproductive system. The location of the testicles makes it easier for them to be injured or hit, a painful sensation most males have experienced. Generally, because the testicles are loosely attached to the body and are made of a spongy material, they are able to absorb the shock of impact without permanent damage. It is common, nonetheless, for males to experience testicular trauma, which is when the testicles are struck, hit, kicked, or crushed. Most testicular injuries of this sort occur during sports and can be very painful.
Another common type of testicular problem that occurs suddenly is called testicular torsion, and, although it is known to occur in males of all ages, it is particularly frequent in males between the ages of 12 and 18. It should be appreciated that within the scrotum, the testicles are secured at either end. Sometimes, a testicle can become twisted, cutting off the blood vessels that supply blood to the testicle. Testicular torsion occurs as the result of trauma to the testicles or as a result of strenuous activity. In the United States, testicular torsion occurs in one out of 4,000 males younger than 25. A more rare type of testicular trauma is called testicular rupture. This condition may occur when the testicle receives a direct blow or when the testicle is crushed by some object. The testicle is compressed against the pubic bone, crushing the testicle against the bone and the object, causing blood to leak into the scrotum.
The first type of protective cups developed, and still available, are the flat-profiled cups, which are not contoured and often do not have the necessary volume to provide any real protection. Traditional protective cup and similar devices include, for example, those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,283,684; 3,314,422; 3,782,375; 4,453,541; 4,590,931; 5,479,942; 5,807,299; and 6,319,219, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The more recent of the traditional cups are profiled and generally differ in two respects: the shape of the bottom end and the volume. For example, the traditional cups manufactured by Bike® and the Original Banana cups are pointed and relatively narrow; and the cups sold by Bauere®, Protex® and SafeTGard® are rounded at the bottom end and are relatively wide. These traditional devices have been primarily designed to absorb or divert the force of an impact from the genital region to the pelvic bone. In this regard, these devices have been relatively successfully in preventing testicular trauma as a result of a direct impact. However, the traditional cup design just described allows for a great deal of movement and jarring between testicles in the scrotum and the cup, between one testicle and the other, and between the testicles and the penis. Indeed, in some instances, depending on the particular male physiology, the traditional cup confines the testicles and penis in an open environment so as to increase the jarring activity, e.g., one testicle banging against the other. This jarring is enhanced during the performance of sporting or other physical activity—when a protective cup is most likely to be worn. During the course of fast moving sporting activity, the testicles shift within the cup and often shift place as the athlete moves quickly from one position to another. This confinement of the testicles in the open space of the traditional protective cup is believed to either increase the likelihood of testicle torsion or, at minimum, to not help prevent testicular torsion.
As those experienced in athletics can attest, the banging of one testicle against the other, or against the penis, or against the wall of a protective cup, results in a very discomforting, if not painful experience. As previously noted, this also may contribute to testicular torsion or even testicular rupture. The continuous jarring of the testicles causes minor discomfort at a minimum and has been known to cause at least temporary injury to the groin region.
The association of pain and discomfort with the wearing of the traditional protective cup has residual effects as well. For example, many do not wear a protective cup because of this discomfort associated therewith. These people are therefore much more susceptible to injury. Therefore, there is a currently unmet need in the protective device industry for a protective cup that not only provides protection from impact, but is more comfortable, easier to wear, and minimizes likelihood of testicular torsion.